Colorado defenseman Tyson Barrie (4) put a shot past New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) in a shootout Thursday night. The Colorado Avalanche defeated the New York Rangers 3-2 Thursday night, April 3, 2014 in a shootout at the Pepsi Center in Denver. (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post)

Less than three weeks away from Avalanche training camp and Tyson Barrie is still unsigned. Not saying the valuable 23-year-old two-way defenseman won’t be under contract when Colorado veterans report around Sept. 18 (start date has yet to be confirmed), but the recent deal between the Edmonton Oilers and similarly skilled Justin Schultz — also an offensive-minded right-handed shot — might make it more difficult.

On Friday, Schultz signed a one-year deal for $3.675 million, according to TSN, in a “bridge” deal that makes him a restricted free agent again next year. Pure speculation, but we were expecting Barrie to sign a one- or two-year deal worth $2.4 and $3.5 million annually and again be an RFA at the end of it. On the heels of Schultz’s signing, Barrie and the Avs might be miles apart. To wit:

Interesting story written by Kevin Allen of USA Today, about Edmonton rookie Justin Schultz. The 22-year-old defenseman from the University of Wisconsin has four goals — four more than the Avalanche’s entire blue-line corps.

Schultz is basically what the Avs thought they were getting — and still believe in what they might have — with similar-aged Stefan Elliott, 22, and Tyson Barrie, 21. Like the Avs’ two young puck-moving D-men “prospects,” Schultz was selected in the early rounds of the NHL draft, going to Anaheim with in the second round (43rd overall) in 2008. Elliott and Barrie were selected by the Avs as the 49th and 64th picks in 2009.

As Allen writes, a CBA loophole led to Schultz begin granted independence from the Ducks and becoming a free agent. He is from British Columbia and said he wanted to play in the West, with a young up-and-coming team in need of a puck-moving defenseman. The Oilers, obviously, fit the bill, with outstanding young forwards Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov, and in need of a Schultz-type player on the back end. Good for Edmonton. The small-market Oilers got what they needed and are a fun team to watch.

But I wonder if Colorado was in the running for Schultz. The Avs, like the Oilers, are in the West and have (or did have) outstanding young talent up front with Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly and Gabe Landeskog, and judging from last season, they needed a puck-moving blue-liner bad. Did they go after Schultz, who signed a two-year deal with with Edmonton for $925,000 per year (plus $2,850,000 bonus, $3,775,000 annual cap hit), according to CapGeek.com?

Yes, the Erik Johnson potential is there, and Ryan Wilson and Matt Hunwick have some offensive jam, but instead of giving Elliott and/or Barrie the opportunity to be that guy, they re-signed unrestricted free agents Wilson, Hunwick and Shane O’Brien, plus UFA Greg Zanon, the prototype defensive-defenseman who played with Minnesota and Boston last season. There weren’t opening-night spots for Elliott or Barrie, because they had seven defensemen on one-way contracts and they were on two-way deals and eligible to be sent down to the AHL without clearing waivers. Hey, the Avs have size and grit on the back end. What they don’t have is a consistent Schultz-type defenseman. Barrie has played four of 11 games for the Avs; Elliott none.

It’s all hindsight here, but clearly, Schultz is a great pickup for Edmonton, and it seems the Avs were not only not interested in him, but they didn’t think Elliott or Barrie could play that role either. So . . . what you have is a team that is the only one in the NHL still looking for a goal from a defenseman.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.